Manila: A member of the House of Representatives Committee on Higher and Technical Education said the launch of a scholarship program for aspiring teachers would help attract the best minds to the teaching profession. 'The Teacher Education Scholarship Program could prove crucial in encouraging outstanding high school graduates to go into the teaching profession and help ensure that we have excellent teachers in the future,' Solid North Party-list Rep. Ching Bernos said in a statement on Thursday.

According to Philippines News Agency, the Department of Education - Teacher Education Council and Commission on Higher Education's Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education launched the PHP103.32 million Teacher Education Scholarship Program (TESP) earlier this month. The TESP is a flagship initiative under Republic Act 11713, or the Excellence in Teacher Education Act of 2022, aimed at strengthening teacher preparation and raising standards in the profession.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara noted that 720 students from across the country will benefit from the pilot launch. The selected students are under three specialization degrees, which have been identified as needing additional support to ensure that learners receive age-appropriate, values-centered, and inclusive education. These are Early Childhood Education, Values Education, and Special Needs Education.

Bernos expressed hope that the program would receive greater funding in the following years, underscoring that 'we need topnotch teachers if we want to provide topnotch education to all.' She vowed to campaign for the program to receive a boost in the upcoming budget deliberations for the 2027 national budget. 'Ilalaban po natin ito, at ang iba pang pangangailangan sa higher education sector na makatutulong sa pagtugon sa learning crisis sa ating bansa (We will push for this, as well as other needs in higher education, to help address the learning crisis in our country)."